ST. LOUIS—You could see from the look on Dusty Baker’s face that he was glad to be back on the field. Out since Sept. 20 because of heart troubles, the Cincinnati Reds manager wore a big smile throughout his first session with the media upon returning for Monday night’s game against the Cardinals.

“It feels great to be back with my team,” said the 63-year-old Baker, about 20 pounds lighter but appearing fit. “I’m still on some meds but I’m feeling better. Not 100 percent, but pretty close.”

The day after managing his 3,000th game on Sept. 19, Baker was at Wrigley Field when he complained of a heavy chest and was sent to a Chicago hospital for tests. What the club first thought might be pneumonia was diagnosed as an irregular heartbeat, which Baker had experienced before.

Admitted on a Wednesday, Baker underwent tests on Thursday and was preparing to return to work on Friday when the situation turned more serious. Minutes before being discharged, Baker suffered a mini-stroke. He said he had just shaven and was starting to dress when something went amiss.

“The lady asked me to say my name and I couldn’t,” Baker said. “All of a sudden, she called the doctor back in. I’m like, ‘Why?’. She was, ‘Well, you just better stay here.’”

Baker said he wasn’t scared about the setback because of where he was when the symptoms occurred.

“I didn’t like the fact that I was having a stroke but at the same time, how many people have been in the hospital when they have a stroke?” Baker said. “Imagine, I could have been on a plane in five or 10 minutes, or on the highway. That’s why I say, man, it wasn’t my time to go yet.”

A mini-stroke can be a precursor to a true stroke, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. The blood flow to the brain is stopped temporarily but typically there are no long-lasting effects—as long as proper steps are taken. Baker says he will undergo more treatment in the offseason and already has changed his routine. Namely, his diet. Baker has his daughter, Natosha, making sure he is eating right.

“Turkey burgers and couscous and all that kind of stuff,” Baker said. “She’d be proud of me to tell you guys I’m eating this.”

Baker’s hospital stay ended up lasting four days before he returned to Cincinnati. He was able to visit the ballpark several times last week and he filled out the Reds’ lineups but went home to watch the games. In his absence, the Reds went 7-4 and clinched the N.L. Central. They also got a no-hitter last Friday from Homer Bailey that Baker said he watched “from the edge of my seat.”

But he was OK with not being around for those accomplishments.

“The way I look at it, the big one is to come,” he said, referring to the Reds’ goal for the upcoming postseason.